Lindsay Farrell: Invest In Workforce, Not Business Breaks

For decades, Connecticut taxpayers have been pouring money down a rabbit hole of corporate subsidies, through tax breaks, loans and grants on the promise of job creation. But it hasn't worked.

Take Pfizer Inc.: It benefited from more than $160 million in direct and indirect public subsidies over a decade, and then pulled up stakes when the money ran out — eliminating more than1,000 jobs in Connecticut.

Corporate tax breaks have exploded. A recent study from the Council on State Taxation found that Connecticut has the lowest corporate taxes of all 50 states. If low business taxes meant more jobs, Connecticut would be booming. These policies help the wealthiest companies with their bottom lines and executive bonuses as they push their tax burden onto the middle class. But they don't create jobs.

Pfizer didn't move those jobs to Mexico; they moved to Massachusetts, to be nearer to world-class education and transportation. We need a new plan: Let's invest in our workforce and rebuild Connecticut. We have overcrowded classrooms that need teachers, and roads and bridges in desperate need of repair by local workers. Let's spend our money wisely and instead put people to work building the Connecticut we deserve.